


Nothing at All

by Taliax



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Episode: s02 Anansi, F/M, Miraculous Holder Nino Lahiffe, One-Sided Ninette, Sad Ending, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliax/pseuds/Taliax
Summary: Eachthump-thumpof her heart was like a knife between her ribs.  Why,whydid she have to feel like thisnow?It wasn’t because Nino was a superhero.  If that were the case, she would’ve fallen for Chat Noir ages ago.It would've been easier if she had fallen for Chat Noir.  At least he still liked her back.(Set during the episode Anansi)
Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	Nothing at All

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I suddenly had the overwhelming desire to write angsty ninette but here we are. Thanks to Maddy, Alyce, and Janai for the encouragement (: also mega thanks to maddy for a lot of the inspiration for this in the first place!!

“Shell off.”

Nino’s transformation fell, his green suit and hood giving way to a familiar blue shirt and faded red cap. Somehow seeing him in his normal clothes only made Marinette’s heart pick up more. She did her best to ignore it.

But then he just had to  _smile._

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Each _thump-thump_ of her heart was like a knife between her ribs. Why, _why_ did she have to feel like this _now?_ It wasn’t because Nino was a superhero. If that were the case, she would’ve fallen for Chat Noir ages ago.

It would've been easier if she had fallen for Chat Noir. At least he still liked her back.

Nino held out his hand. For a moment she imagined that he wanted her to take it. But then she noticed the hexagonal bracelet in his palm.

Right. The miraculous. Her own earrings beeped, reminding her that she couldn’t stand and stare all day.

Unfortunately, there would be plenty of time for staring later.

“You were a true superhero, Nino,” she told him, not because of her blooming feelings, but because it was true. No one else would charge an akuma the way he did—except Chat Noir, maybe. But even Chat wouldn’t do it as a civilian.

Was that why she liked Nino? Because he’d go up against insurmountable odds, even when he had no chance of winning?

He scratched the side of his head, giving an embarrassed little laugh. His cheeks were pink with her praise.

His cheeks. Which Alya would be kissing, and not her.

_ Stop it. You’re being ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! _

“I should get going,” she said, though her feet were still rooted to the spot. Once she left, she had no idea how long it would be before she saw him like this. As Ladybug, a hero, and not Marinette, an idiot who’d turned him down.

“Wait, Ladydude? Er, I mean—”

“Ladydude is fine.” She giggled, covering up the sound of her earrings’ incessant beeping, but not the thumping of her heart.

“I just wanted to thank you.”

“You already did.” Was he just looking for an excuse to keep talking to her? Not that she was complaining, even if her earrings were.

He shook his head. “Not for today. You remember the akuma that turned into all the animals?”

“Animan?” She asked as ice seemed to slide down her throat. She remembered that day, for more reasons than one. Jumping into a t-rex’s maw was pretty memorable.

So was the awkward not-date with Nino beforehand.

“Yeah! He was my girlfriend’s dad—but, uh, that’s not important. Well, my girlfriend is, but anyway—that’s what I wanted to thank you for.”

She blinked. “You wanted to thank me for… your girlfriend?”

“Yeah. If it weren’t for you locking us in the panther enclosure, I probably never would’ve realized how awesome Alya was.”

Her smile twitched.

“O-of course. It was no problem. I’d lock you in a panther cage a hundred times if it made you happy.”

Did she really just say that? She wanted to smack her head against the brick wall. Apparently her idiotitis _wasn’t_ just Adrien-induced.

“Uh… thanks?”

She cleared her throat. “Anyway! Gotta get going, people to save, villains to fight, bugs to out—I mean, bug out! Bye!”

She managed to yo-yo up to the roof before she said anything else completely stupid. Her transformation wore off a second later, spitting Tikki back out into the evening air.

“Marinette?” the kwami asked. “What was that?”

She dropped her head in her hands. She was still holding the little box with the turtle miraculous inside; it pressed against her forehead coldly.

“It was nothing,” she murmured.

There was nothing between them. And there never would be.

Because she hadn’t recognized when a sweet, caring boy had a crush on her.

Because she’d set him up with her best friend.

Because she was a complete  _idiot._

She watched from the rooftop as Nino went running back into Alya’s arms.

“Nothing at all.”


End file.
